Schenectady Light Opera Company's production of "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" features Joel Bramer and Steve Leifer from February 8-10 and 14-17, 2013. (Courtesy SLOC)

Schenectady Light Opera Company's production of "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" features Joel Bramer and Steve Leifer from February 8-10 and 14-17, 2013. (Courtesy SLOC)

Light-hearted 'Scoundrels' a good time

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SCHENECTADY — Michael Gatzendorfer misses many of the jokes in "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," yet still manages to create a very satisfying piece.

Gatzendorfer is directing "Scoundrels" for Schenectady Light Opera Company, and he's made all the right choices concerning big production numbers, but he has his actors rush through the many wonderful throw-away lines that pepper both Jeffrey Lane's book and David Yazbek's songs.

When a Midwestern woman, for example, finally reveals that she is Muriel of Omaha, and immediately follows it by saying "the feeling's mutual," the whole room should guffaw. It's a cheap, easy laugh, straight out of the vaudeville tradition. Here, it's glossed, and hence only gets a little titter.

If the weight of these tiny losses were added to "Scoundrels," it would be a laugh riot, rather than just a good time. But a good time is still a good time, and overall, this "Scoundrels'' remains a funny show.

Steven Leifer plays the role he was born to in Lawrence Jameson, a classy con man with the morals of a snake. Freddy Benson (Joel Bramer) is his nemesis; then his pal; then his competitor as a grungy American con looking to make his mark on the French Riviera.

As the play develops the two men wager on their ability to pull $50,000 off of a young "soap queen," Christine Colgate (Heather-Liz Copps), newly arrived from the states. Eventually, the bet hinges on grabbing her heart rather than her wallet, but the rules remain the same.

Obviously, "Scoundrels" draws the bulk of its humor from the machinations of the game, but they are many subplots and silly supporting characters, too (like Mary Darcy's wealthy Muriel and Norman Eick's on-the-take police chief, Andre Thibault).

Leifer, as noted, is a delight as Jameson. Bramer matches him not wit-for-wit, but with a strong penchant for physical comedy.

Choreographer Edmund Metzold has a blast with the show's many big dance numbers, and he employs a large ensemble as fellow tourists, hotel staff and big spenders, spinning them all around SLOC's big stage.

Among the best are "Great Big Stuff," "The More We Dance" and "Oklahoma."